JISC

Funding programme: e-Learning Pedagogy programme

JISC theme(s): e-Learning

The learner experience of e-learning (LEX) project aims to put learner voices at the centre of the research study. The study is part of the pedagogy strand of the elearning programme and builds on a recently completed scoping study and literature review.

August 2005 project report
February 2006 project report
Presentations from the February 2006 Pedagogy experts meeting 

Questions to be examined by the study include for example:

• what does it feel like to a learner to experience various pedagogies?
• what makes them successful (or unsuccessful) learners?
• did they experience a breakthrough in their use of learning technology? what made the difference?
• how does the communications technology they use in life condition their expectations of learning technology?

Outcomes

The project is designed to result in improved insight into learner motivation, perception, and interaction with other learners and tutors. In turn this will lead to practical results including guidance for elearning designers and tutors.

There have been many evaluation studies of e-learning. Only a small proportion however have taken the learner experience as their starting point:

‘the experts in learner experience are the learners’

Most e-learning studies have originated in higher education.  Adult and community learning and work based learning on the other hand are poorly represented in the literature. This project sets out to capture learner voices and experiences across the broad range of post–16 learning and to give equal weight to those voices. There will be no sector bias or research presumptions about the learners.

Research methods will be flexible to meet the widely differing situations of learners. The emphasis will be on capturing learner voices through interviews and focus groups and not a top down approach.

The project is managed by a partnership of Glasgow Caledonian University and the Open Learning Partnership. 

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) is a post-92 higher education institution with 15,000 students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. It has a reputation for widening access and aims to be both inclusive and entrepreneurial in approach. To meet the needs of its diverse student profile, GCU offers a range of flexible learning opportunities including work-based, blended and fully online courses. 

The Open Learning Partnership (OLP) is an educational charity with trustee membership from three further education colleges in North London. OLP specialises in e-elearning research, development and support in further, adult and community education and supports projects in London, UK wide, and in Europe.

We welcome ideas, suggestions and offers of help from tutors and institutions with an interest in e-learning research based on the learner voice.